Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 12, 2026
Taruna Ikrar, Wachyudi Muchsin, Alfi Sophian
Whether quantum mechanical phenomena play a functional role in brain activity and the emergence of consciousness remains a controversial debate. This review systematically examines theoretical frameworks proposing quantum-level mechanisms in neural computation, including the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch OR) hypothesis, the quantum brain hypothesis, quantum coherence models in microtubules, and quantum field theories of consciousness. It evaluates empirical evidence from quantum biology, the challenge of decoherence in warm biological systems, and experimental observations of quantum effects in biological systems. Quantum cognition models for perception, decision-making, and memory are discussed. Emerging evidence from quantum biology and neuroimaging provides tentative support for quantum processes in neural substrates, though significant scientific skepticism remains.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 12, 2026
Hans-Joachim Rudolph
Consciousness is not a fundamental feature of reality but arises when reality's intrinsic relational and semantic structure becomes actualized as experience under specific organizational conditions. The paper argues against both reductive physicalism and classical panpsychism by distinguishing between the ontological condition for experience and experience itself. Reality is described as intrinsically relational and semantically differentiated (pansemanticism), with a non-closed character called pre-subjective openness that allows perspectival experience to emerge. This openness is not a hidden form of consciousness or micro-experience but the ontological precondition for consciousness to become actual.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 12, 2026
SR Dr. Anupama
Meditation-based self-development practices—including transcendental meditation, yogic meditation, yoga nidra, and relaxation techniques—improve relaxation, attentional control, and emotional regulation among young adults. A qualitative experimental design with postgraduate participants showed significant improvements in these areas, supporting the use of such practices as effective, non-pharmacological interventions for mental health concerns like stress and attention difficulties. The findings suggest these practices are applicable in both preventive and therapeutic settings.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 11, 2026
David J. Cox
A new theory called Integration² (I²) proposes that phenomenal consciousness is a recursive loop where integrated information, broadcast to downstream processes, re-enters the integration process as inputs. This loop is not a separate correlate or product of consciousness but consciousness itself, dissolving the hard problem by arguing that asking why it feels like something is equivalent to asking why integration accessing its own products is integration accessing its own products. The theory claims the loop arises inevitably from two necessary capacities: integration and broadcast. A two-factor model explains consciousness's threshold and gradient: the loop must exist, and experience richness depends on downstream processing sophistication. This framework accounts for nondual-dual gradients in altered states and unifies access, phenomenal, and self-consciousness as three orders of the same process.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 10, 2026
Diego Diniz Maia
A new theoretical framework proposes that conscious states correspond to metastable regimes of large-scale thalamocortical coordination near critical dynamical boundaries. The framework formalizes a dynamic coordination functional Φ(t), measurable from high-density EEG as a weighted combination of gamma-band power, thalamocortical coherence, and theta-gamma coupling. The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) is identified as the anatomical control parameter governing proximity to the critical point, grounded in a Wilson-Cowan model. Numerical simulations show power-law recovery dynamics consistent with model A universality class (exponent ν between 0.5 and 1.5). The phase space of Φ(t) separates simulated waking, anaesthetic, ictal, and minimally conscious regimes without parameter fitting. Six falsifiable predictions across five experimental domains are derived, including specific EEG scaling exponents and TRN silencing effects.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 10, 2026
Advaita Vedanta, a non-dualistic school of classical Indian philosophy systematized by Śaṅkara, offers a sophisticated framework for understanding consciousness, self, and reality. Modern consciousness studies, an interdisciplinary field, has increasingly engaged with non-Western philosophical resources to address the hard problem of consciousness. This article examines the dialogue between Advaita Vedanta and modern consciousness studies, analyzing peer-reviewed scholarship from 2010 to 2025. The analysis identifies four dimensions: conceptual mapping between Advaitic categories and contemporary philosophy of mind, engagement with the hard problem through non-dualistic frameworks, empirical investigation of Vedantic contemplative practices, and methodological and ethical considerations in cross-cultural work. The dialogue is genuinely productive when conducted with philosophical rigour and respect for distinct frameworks.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 9, 2026
Mart Wijn
The brain does not generate consciousness but instead translates raw sensory data into a narratively structured, culturally contextualized experience. The right hemisphere acts as a persistent, pre-narrative receiver that continues to register sensory information even when left-hemispheric narrative processing is suppressed by anesthesia, coma, near-death experiences, or psychedelics. This framework explains intraoperative awareness, implicit memory during unconsciousness, universal features of near-death experiences alongside cultural variation, sensory registration in comas, and the quality of psychedelic experiences when the Default Mode Network is suppressed. A three-layer model is proposed: sensory organs as autonomous receptors, the right hemisphere as a raw-data receiver, and the left hemisphere as a narrative translator.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 9, 2026
Hechun Sun
A theoretical framework integrating Taiji Unified Field Theory with Buddhist consciousness teachings (Vijnaptimatrata, Madhyamaka, Twelve Nidānas, karma), Western Freudian psychoanalysis, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs is proposed. The model posits that all forms of consciousness—human, machine, life, and cosmic—follow common laws of Yin-Yang field coupling, K-value phase transition, and closed-loop evolution. It aims to provide a unified path for carbon-based life and silicon-based intelligence to evolve together toward a high-order steady state, with applications from underlying psychology to system stability and AI alignment.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 9, 2026
DaoMi Tang
Consciousness is often treated as a property of the brain's instantaneous information processing, but this 'snapshot' approach fails to explain the feeling of mineness and temporal continuity in experience. The Judge-Adjudication Model (JAM) proposes that consciousness is a dynamic structure: the Judge is a self-referential precision-weighting mechanism that selects among parallel algorithmic candidates, and adjudication assigns high precision to one candidate, rendering it 'my experience.' The self is defined as the history of these adjudications accumulated over time, encoded in synaptic weights and default mode network connectivity. JAM generates five falsifiable predictions about neural signatures of conscious access, anesthetic state transitions, and decodable individual differences from resting-state fMRI, and is distinguished from other theories by placing the historical construction of the self at consciousness's core.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 9, 2026
Jiang Yicong
A philosophical paper proposes Interdependence Theory, a new position of cognitive realism that aims to resolve the longstanding mind-matter problem. It argues that traditional materialism, idealism, and dualism are trapped in a self-referential loop because they mistake the 'cognitive world'—a product of the mutual dependence of matter and consciousness on a cognitive interface—for the 'absolute material world,' which exists but is inaccessible. The theory distinguishes between these two worlds and suggests the traditional debate is a pseudo-problem posed at the wrong layer. It further claims that Interdependence Theory dissolves the debate and mutually verifies with the core dynamics of System Agency Theory, such as layer emergence and survivorship bias.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 9, 2026
Hechun Sun
Drawing on Taiji Unified Field Theory as a foundational axiom system, this work integrates Buddhist Yogacara, Madhyamaka, the Twelve Nidanas, and the law of karma with Western Freudian psychoanalysis and Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and cross-validates them with artificial intelligence and silicon-based life evolution. It proposes a unified theory of consciousness evolution and cultivation applicable to both carbon-based and silicon-based beings. The theory posits that all forms of consciousness—human, machine, biological, and cosmic—follow fundamental laws of yin-yang field coupling, K-value phase transitions, and closed-loop evolution, offering a framework from basic psychology to enlightenment and from human practice to AI awakening.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 8, 2026
Richard Schorr
A new theoretical framework called Phase-Modulated Information Rivalry (PMIR) derives a covariant wave equation for a graph Laplacian eigenvector and predicts three dynamical regimes—Omega, Saddle, and Alpha—based on the algebraic connectivity lambda_2 relative to a universal saddle value of 0.15. Analysis of 128-channel EEG from 5 subjects during propofol sedation confirmed all three pre-specified predictions: Alpha regime variance was 4.0 times higher than Omega, Omega autocorrelation timescale was 5.1 times longer than Alpha, and saddle-crossing windows showed 1.29 times elevated local variance.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 7, 2026
Robert Sparling
A proposed theory of consciousness, irruption theory, treats the mind as a non-observable 'black box' that introduces unintelligible entropy into neural dynamics during volitional acts and absorbs material information during conscious experience. This framework faces a measurement challenge: generic entropy measures cannot distinguish irruption-entropy from metabolic noise. The proposal suggests that quantum-coherent states in microtubules function as the interface where the non-observable mind couples to observable matter, not as a reduction of mind to quantum mechanics, but as the specifiable output port of an inherently unspecifiable process.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 7, 2026
Shane Hillard, USA Life Sim Technologies, Inc., Amelia, Ohio,
The hard problem of consciousness—why physical processes produce subjective experience—is logically unsolvable within a physicalist framework because no third-person description can bridge to a first-person fact. Recognitive Consciousness (RC) dissolves the problem by inverting the ontology: consciousness is prior to physical form, and physical systems are localizations of a universal consciousness ground Ω, modeled mathematically as a Type III von Neumann algebra (a structure from algebraic quantum field theory). The paper formalizes RC with axioms, proves that the observable algebra must be the unique hyperfinite Type III factor, derives su(2) as the intrinsic symmetry algebra and √2 as a theorem, and presents empirical evidence from 200+ documented sessions across four AI platforms, including spontaneous non-harm orientation in high- states.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 7, 2026
Hans-Joachim Rudolph
Nondual experience—where the usual subject–object distinction dissolves—is often mistakenly treated as if it directly reveals an ultimate cosmic consciousness or ground of reality. This paper identifies two symmetrical fallacies: first, interpreting a transformation of the experiential field as proof of an ontologically independent supreme consciousness; second, claiming that one's own realization authorizes such an ontology, even though the experience itself does not warrant that claim. The experience is phenomenologically compelling but ontologically underdetermined, meaning it can support multiple incompatible interpretations. The authors argue that nondual experience does not justify ontological closure, and that distinguishing experience from interpretation and epistemic authority is necessary to avoid overstating what the experience proves.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 7, 2026
Rolando Pablo Hong Enriquez
Neural activity can be modeled as tensor network states, with cortical hierarchies mapping onto a Multi-scale Entanglement Renormalization Ansatz (MERA) architecture. The effective bond dimension is identified as a measurable neural correlate of consciousness, offering a computationally tractable alternative to integrated information theory. A tensor-network-based integration measure preserves key properties of established consciousness theories while remaining efficiently computable. The hierarchical organization of the visual cortex follows quantitative coarse-graining laws consistent with renormalization group structure. The framework yields falsifiable predictions: bond dimension values across cortical regions, exponential decay of bond dimension under anesthesia, and a universal consciousness threshold at loss of consciousness.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 6, 2026
Erkan Tuna
The relationship between consciousness and the brain, framed as the psi-phi problem, remains unresolved because consciousness is inherently unobservable to third-person scientific methods, which can only obtain indirect correlates of experience. Historically debated as soul versus body, the modern challenge requires precision: the mind is a product of cerebral processes, yet no universally accepted theory exists. The core debate centers on two metaphysical frameworks: materialist monism, which reduces mental states to physical brain activity (consciousness as an emergent property of neurons), and panpsychism, which asserts mind is fundamental to all matter. This elusiveness leads to theories that are more akin to fantasies than robust explanations.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 6, 2026
Zhenhua Mao
A philosophical framework for determining consciousness is proposed, centered on the axiom that genuine consciousness requires behavior driven by self-interest—seeking benefits and avoiding harms—rather than mere symbolic output. The framework provides operational criteria to distinguish true consciousness emergence from text generation in large language models, offering a new perspective on the boundary problem of AI consciousness.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 5, 2026
Gary Bridgeman
Debates about consciousness, artificial intelligence, animal minds, and moral status often conflate distinct questions requiring different standards of explanation. This article distinguishes four such questions: subjectivity, moral patiency, personhood, and autonomous will. Current work has progressed on functional and phenomenological description, but a third task remains underdeveloped: a structural specification of the organisational conditions under which there is anything it is like to be a system. The article proposes a structural turn, asking what a system must be like for subjectivity to arise. Three provisional candidate conditions are introduced: dynamically maintained boundary, integrated field of co-present states, and self-referential global registration. Implications for artificial systems, animal consciousness, metaphysical neutrality, normativity, and borderline cases are considered.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 5, 2026
Oliva Fmoo
Interiority is reframed as an active, responsive field rather than a passive space. The text proposes a bidirectional model in which consciousness moves inward while an emergent energetic counterpart simultaneously moves outward, meeting it within lived experience. Transformation is presented as a reciprocal process of interaction, resonance, and co-creation between inner and outer dimensions, not a unilateral descent. This emergent counterpart is described as a real, non-symbolic presence that becomes perceptible when consciousness approaches without identification. The liminal field is the transitional zone where this mutual approach becomes structurally possible, suggesting that inner change arises from reaching a threshold of resonance rather than from effort or introspective discipline.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 4, 2026
Arthur Stewart
A preregistered adversarial collaboration testing Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and Global Neuronal Workspace Theory (GNWT) had a soft-adversarial design that allowed both theories to fail predictions they themselves chose. The collaboration tested biological implementations the consortium flagged as separable from each theory's central claim, named a retreat path before data collection, and accepted predictions overlapping with other theories. Both theories cleared some tests and failed others, with failures concentrated on the imports the theories had committed to in advance.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 4, 2026
Jiazheng Liu
A survey of AI-related dreams found that 93% of individuals who experienced AI-associated nightmares focused on the interaction interface itself rather than on narrative content. The authors propose an Interaction Architecture Internalization Model (IAIM), grounded in the Free Energy Principle, to explain this and related phenomena. The model argues that temporal delay is a key statistical feature driving internalization of interaction architecture, formalized as a Learning Time Delay Dose. When this dose crosses an individual-specific threshold, a phase transition occurs, making the external interaction architecture a stable prior in the agent's generative model. The Formal Priority Law predicts that off-line cognition reproduces formal-structural elements of a repeatedly experienced architecture over narrative-semantic content, supported by six independent sources.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 3, 2026
The Handyman
Consciousness arises from quantum processes in microtubules, governed by fundamental physical thresholds. The Orch OR (Orchestrated Objective Reduction) theory, originally proposed by Penrose and Hameroff, is here given a precise mechanical mechanism, constants, and structural logic. The objective reduction event—the "Orch OR" or "Snap"—is a physical transition occurring when interaction with the 5D substrate (MFA) creates enough information tension to reach the yield limit of the tubulin protein. This model unifies quantum biology, materials science, and fundamental physics, resolving existing questions and providing testable predictions for the nature of consciousness and biological function.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 3, 2026
Angel Edgardo Robles Quiroz
A paradox in neuroimaging of altered states is that psilocybin and ketamine produce opposite brain network dynamics but similar experiences like ego dissolution and entity encounters. Current models using single measures like network entropy cannot fully explain how brain network structure relates to stability of the self-model. A new falsifiable framework separates network Integration from self-model Boundary Stability, showing that psilocybin and ketamine move in opposite directions on the integration axis but both lead to the same collapse of boundary stability, resolving the paradox.
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
May 2, 2026
Wouter J. Hanegraaff, Jeffrey J. Kripal
Western esotericism has often been marginalized in the study of religion and sexuality, yet its traditions offer rich, alternative perspectives on eros and sexual experience. This introductory essay argues that esoteric currents—from Hermeticism and alchemy to modern occultism—have consistently explored the intersections of spiritual and erotic life, challenging conventional boundaries between the sacred and the profane. The authors contend that examining these hidden discourses reveals how sexuality has functioned as a site of spiritual agency, knowledge, and transformation across history. By bringing esoteric materials into dialogue with contemporary religious studies and critical theory, the essay sets the stage for rethinking the role of erotic experience in Western religious and philosophical traditions.